The Return of Chris Collins

Just a few short months ago, the voters of Erie County rejected political hobbyist Chris Collins’ bid for a second term as County Executive by an unexpectedly wide margin. Although polls showed that Poloncarz had momentum, Collins wasn’t expected to lose, and it was supposed to go past election day into absentee-counting. Neither of those things happened, and Collins was sent home.

A corporate raider with a Six Sigma fetish, Collins returned to said he was done with political life for now.

Yet now that the congressional lines have been re-drawn, Collins’ ego compels him to seek out and destroy those who have succeeded where he has failed. It was last May when Kathy Hochul pulled off an epic upset against Collins’ Spaulding Lake neighbor, Jane Corwin. There wasn’t a lot of sunlight between Corwin’s and Collins’ teams, and they ran just horrible races that relied on money. It’s the 1%’s occupational hazard.

Conservative Republican and Iraq War Veteran David Bellavia has already announced his candidacy for Congress, and his experience with the Collins crew has been rocky. Way back in 2008, Bellavia agreed to step aside to allow Chris Lee to get the Republican nod in NY-26 and run against Democrat Alice Kryzan. In exchange for that, he was promised that he’d be on deck to run next time. When the next time came around with Chris Lee’s abrupt resignation in 2011, Collins and the party apparatus strong-armed him out of the race like something out of a Sopranos episode. Specifically, Chris Collins, Carl Paladino, and Rus Thompson cornered Batavia in the back room of a coffee shop to convince, cajole, and intimidate him into quitting the race.

Bellavia isn’t stepping aside for anyone this time, and it’s expected that he’s going to take the fight to Collins with a vengeance. Collins is used to attacks from the left over things like rat control, health clinics, day care, and cultural funding. What he’s not used to – or, likely, ready for – is attacks from the right. Collins is busy telling people his values better reflect those of the new 27th district, but Bellavia is going to challenge Collins on that point, and he’s taken on tougher opponents than some gruff rich jerk.

In concluding my March 2011 post about the attempted intimidation of David Bellavia, I wrote:

Corwin is scared. Collins is scared. Paladino wants people to be scared of him. How fascinating that Chris Lee’s shirtless tranny hunting let all of WNY see that political party for what it really is.

Corwin and Collins had every reason to be scared, and Paladino’s infrequent whining-by-memo has no one afraid of him. Chris Collins is a local version of Mitt Romney, and I have a hard time believing that Republicans in WNY are going to be enthusiastic about this recent loser. Collins’ schtick may play well in Amherst and other Buffalo suburbs, but I have my doubts over how he’s going to come across in the GLOW counties.

I hope Bellavia makes it conceptually impossible for Collins ever to seek elected office again. With Michael Caputo on his team, he’ll do to Collins what Paladino did to Lazio.

Sounds like Hochul could have used some Six Sigma in the Clerk’s Office given what a disastrous mess she left the place in. I won’t vote for Hochul because she’s way left of this district even though she pretends not to be. Voting for Collins would force me to ignore the fact that he is a completely arrogant jerk. I don’t know much about Bellavia accept he’s a war hero, but he might be a little too far right for my taste.

Senators Maziarz and Gallivan, Dennis Vacco, Steve Tasker…..all would have been such better GOP candidates than what we are left with now. Hochul couldn’t ask for weaker opposition.

Collins will be very tough in the new district. He won the portions of Erie County in the County Exec race and the rest of the district should be very conservative, except for a few urban areas. I see Collins rolling Bellavia like a paper duck in a primary.

Google David Bellavia Racism and you will understand why he was pushed out. Bellavia could be baited into saying all kinds of stupid stuff. A better comparison might be to Rick Santorum. He should consider changing parties to democratic, the media ignores racist comments by them.

Are you kidding me with this racist thing again?
Google David on YouTube and you will see he delivered
That same motivational speech several times using
Different athletes. His point was clearly that we should look up to real heroes like veteran
John McCain and not highly paid athletes. I must
He wasnt comparing President Obama to Tiger Woods Im
A registered Democrat and even I found that So ridiulous.
I guess since Collins parks in handicap spots he
Hates the disabled?